Dispensing container with collapsible compartment



Sept. 16, 1969 J. w. KINNAVY DISPENSING CONTAINER WITH COLLAPSIBLE COMPARTMENT Filed Jan. 18, 1968 r INVENTOR JA M5; W. K/NNAVY ATT'Y United States Patent 3,467,283 DISPENSING CONTAINER WITH COLLAPSIBLE COMPARTMENT James W. Kinnavy, Westmont, Ill., assignor to Continental Can Company, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Jan. 18, 1968, Ser. No. 698,836 Int. Cl. B65d 35/28 US. Cl. 222-95 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A product dispensing container of the type including a collapsible product containing compartment which is disposed within a rigid container and defines therein a chamber containing a propellant which applies a pressure force on the bag. A valve dispensing means communicates with the bag for discharging the product from the bag under the force of the propellant. The product containing compartment is formed from an integral piece of material and includes axially spaced fold means for regulating the collapse of the compartment caused by pressure forces acting radially and axially thereon as the product is dispensed.

The present invention relates to product dispensing containers which include a product containing compartment and a propellant compartment. The compartments are generally separated by a common wall of the product containing compartment. In some instances the common wall of such dispensing containers is defined by a collapsible bag positioned internally of the container body and secured to a top closure of the latter. The top closure generally includes a manually operable valve-actuated dispensing mechanism for dispensing a product packaged within the bag under the influence of a pressurized propellant housed in the propellant chamber between the bag and the container body.

In prior dispensing containers using the product containing bag the side wall thereof has been constructed so that the bag tends to callapse indiscriminately both radially inwardly and axially upwardly due to the forces imposed thereon by the pressurized propellant during the dispensing operation. This indiscriminate collapsing or panelling generally takes place near the center or the top of the product containing bag. The panelling of the side wall results in the formation of one or more restrictions intermediate the ends of the bag which ultimately may block the product flow through the valve orifice of the valve dispensing mechanism. This condition makes it difficult, if not impossible, to discharge the product from the portion of the bag below the restriction with the result that optimum product dispensing is not achieved, even though the valve orifice of the dispensing mechanism itself may not be clogged or blocked.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a novel dispensing container including a product dispensing bag which is constructed to eliminate the difficulties encountered heretofore.

This is accomplished generally by the provision of a dispensing container provided with a novel collapsible product bag which includes fold bands axially spaced from each other for rigidifying the bag and maintaining a predetermined configuration thereof against the forces acting radially and axially thereupon so that the bag collapses uniformly both radially and axially without the panelling or indiscriminate folding causing the blockage as occurred heretofore.

3,467,283 Patented Sept. 16, 1969 In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the dispensing container with the parts broken away for clarity and illustrating a collapsible bag or compartment housed internally of a container body prior to the dispensing of the product therefrom; and

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the condition of the bag during the product dispensing from the bag.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a product dispensing container 10 of the general type with which the product dispensing bag 12 of the present invention is adapted to be used. The container 10 comprises generally a container body 11, an inner collapsible bag 12 which carries the product to be dispensed, and a propellant chamber 13 defined between the exterior of the bag 12 and the interior of the container body 11.

The container body 11 includes axially opposed top and bottom closures 14 and 16 respectively. The top closure 14 may be generally dome-shaped and formed with an axial opening 17 bounded by a rolled rim 18. The product is filled through the opening 17 into the collapsible bag 12. After the bag is filled, a product dispensing valve assembly 19 including a valve 20 which may be of well-known construction is attached to the rim 1% as shown. The bottom closure plate 16 is formed with an opening 21 in which there is seated a grommet or charging valve 22 through which the propellant is charged into the propellant chamber 13.

The collapsible bag 12 is formed from a plastic material such as polyethylene and preferably by blow molding. The bag 12 is constructed of a suflicient thickness so as to retain its configuration under normal atmospheric pressure and under the propellant pressure forces acting thereon when the bag is completely filled with the product. The collapsible bag 12 includes a cylindrical side Wall 23, a bottom wall or base 24 located in vertically spaced relationship with respect to an upper end portion 26. The upper end portion 26 incudes an opening 27 bounded by a curled rim 28 which is attached to the top closure rolled rim 18.

To regulate the collapsing of the bag 12 in a manner to eliminate indiscriminate panelling of the cylindrical wall 23 and the bottom wall 24, there is provided a plurality of lengthwise spaced fold sections 29. As shown, the fold sections 29 are spaced lengthwise of the cylindrical wall 23 so as to define therebetween a plurality of side bands 31. The fold sections 29 each comprise a pair of annular panels 32 which are arranged in V-shaped configuration and integrally joined along a comon inner line fold line 33 defining the vortex of the V. The outer ends of the fold panels 32 are integrally joined along fold lines 34 and 36 to the upper and lower edges of the adjacent bands 31 respectively. Preferably the fold panels 32 are inclined inwardly at about an angle of 60 relative to the side bands 31.

When the valve 20 is released so that the product is dispensed therethrough, the pressure forces of the propellant within the propellant chamber 13 are operative to force the bag 12 axially upward. As the bag 12 moves axially upward, the annular panels 32 each fold about the inner fold line 33 and the outer fold lines 34 and 36. As the panels 32 fold during dispensing of the product the included angle therebetween gradually decreases until the panels lie in superposed horizontal relationship, The panels 32 thus form in the nature of rigidifying bands which resist the radial forces acting on the side wall to prevent radial collapse of the bands 31 inwardly. At the same time they also exert an axial force tending to maintain the base 24 of the bag 12 substantially normal to the side wall of the container 10 whereby the bag collapses uniformly along its length without tilting relative to the longitudinal axis. In this manner the contraction of the product dispensing bag 12 is regulated and controlled.

-As the product is further dispensed through the valve 20 after the panels 32 are in superposed relationship, the side bands 31 collapse irregularly under the force exerted by the propellant. (As shown in FIGURE 2, the side bands collapse by folding so that substantial areas of the outer surfaces thereof are in face to face contact. In this connection it should be mentioned that the width of the side bands 31 is preferably such that in the collapsed condition no portion thereof is disposed outboard of the inner fold line 33 thereby to provide an uninterrupted center passage for the flow of the product to the dispensing valve 20. Moreover, the material thickness of the collapsed side bands is substantially uniform about the circumference so that a minimum of axial tilting occurs whereby the base 24 remains substantially parallel to the bottom closure 16 until it approaches the dome-shaped top closure plate 14, at which time the bottom 24 of the bag may bulge upwardly to force further product through the valve 20.

What is claimed is:

1. A product dispensing container having a container body, a top and bottom closure at axially opposite ends of said body, a valve-actuated dispensing mechanism carried by said top closure and a collapsible product dispensing bag disposed in the interior of said container body and defining with said container body a propellant chamber charged with a pressurized propellant, the improvement wherein said bag is formed of integral onepiece construction with a thickness imparting shaperetentive characteristics in the presence of atmospheric pressures, said bag being of generally cylindrical configuration including a side wall, a base and an axiolly opposed open end communicating with said valve-actuating dispensing mechanism, said side wall including a plurality of preformed annular fold sections, said fold sections each being defined by a pair of inclined annular panels forming a V when said bag is filled with a product and being foldable toward each other about the vortex of said V so that said bag is axially collapsed under the force exerted by said pressurized propellant during dispensing of said product, said fold sections being operative to impart radial stability to said bag, a plurality of cylindrical annular side bands disposed between adjacent pairs of said fold section, said bands being of a rigidity and having a width so as to be axially collapsible by folding inwardly between said fold sections with substantial areas of the outer surface of said bands in face-to-face contact under the force exerted by said propellant during dispensing of said product and after folding of said fold sections.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said fold sections each comprise a pair of annular panels formed from said side walls and extending inwardly of said side bands and inclined relative thereto to form a V whereby said panels are foldable relative to each other about the vortex of said V and foldable relative to adjacent ones of said side bands at the outer ends thereof.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein the height of said side bands is greater than the depth of said V formed by said inclined panels.

4. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said panels are inclined inwardly at an angle of about relative to said side bands.

5. The invention as defined in claim 4 wherein said inclined side panels and said side bands are of substantially the same thickness.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,154,222 10/1964 Heckman 222-2l5 X 3,246,802 4/1966 Fuhrmann 222 3,337,091 8/1967 Bartels 222-95 2,492,058 12/1949 OConnor 222-214 X ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner H. S. LANE, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

